Saturday, January 4, 2014

Daily Tactic January 4, 2014

Morphy, Paul - NN, New Orleans, 1849. NN has just played ...Nxd4, capturing a pawn, with a double attack on Morphy's Queen from the N at d4 and the Bishop at g4. Pin and Skewer are tactical devices used in today's position. What does Morphy do about his attacked Queen? White to move.

In 1850, when Morphy was twelve, the strong professional Hungarian chess master Johann Löwenthal visited New Orleans. Löwenthal, who had often played and defeated talented youngsters, considered the informal match a waste of time but accepted the offer as a courtesy to the well-to-do judge.
By about the twelfth move in the first game, Löwenthal realized he was up against someone formidable. Each time Morphy made a good move, Löwenthal's eyebrows shot up in a manner described by Ernest Morphy as "comique". Löwenthal played three games with Paul Morphy during his New Orleans stay, scoring two losses and one draw (according to another source – losing all three). wikipedia